Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Yea , though I weld through the valley of paper thin steel I do not fear.....well.... I do fear-therefore I go slowly and make sure I do not blow huge craters in this stuff. Here's the result and it is not too shabby.

This one is about 3 lb. 8 oz., a lot like the last one with some slightly different tubes. This rider is really light so I went with the ubiquitous S-3 teardrop shaped top tube. It is hella light and is a nice compliment to the bi-oval S-3 downtube.

This frame has a press-fit 30 BB shell provided by the customer. He'll have someone prep in once it gets to Colorado as I do not have the proper cutter. The rest has been prepped and the frame will be shipped as you see it. The customer is taking the frame to Spectrum powderworks as they are the local masters.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Team sox are back in stock, this time with a new saying: " Shred the gnar". Maybe not the level of irony as in the past but the same wool blend sox that will keep your feet warm, even in freezing weather. $ 15 per pair, two pair for $ 25. two sizes, S/M and L/XL.

It has been a long time since I have had the Swigg bottles in stock -now in two sizes. Reg. Swigg $ 4.00, Bigg Swigg $ 5.00 just give me a call 831-429-8010 and stock up for the winter.

Friday, January 25, 2013

If there's a lighter way to build a reliable road frame I have not found it yet. This one tips the scale at 3 lb. 6 oz. as you see it. It is really stiff and should give a long and a stable ride.

Every tube in this frame has a super high heat treat. The downtube wall at the center of the tube is .35 mm ! You can almost squeeze the tub with your fingers. That said, folks who ride this tube have raved about the stiffness and ride quality.

The Ritchey dropouts are appropriate as this rider works for Ritchey design. The frame will be paired with-you guessed it - a Ritchey WCS carbon road fork. I'm thinking that my next road frame will be nearly identical to this one.

I finished this frame a couple of days ago but didn't get it online until today.....I keep forgetting to bring the camera home. Folks might be thinking that I have not been in my shop this week but on the contrary.

This frameset isn't a pure touring setup but it will have the ability to take racks, fenders and be used for some pretty rugged riding-maybe even a race here and there. The bike will have room for the Bruce Gordon 700x43 rock 'n road tires and will be fitted with Paul's mini-moto linear pull canti brakes.

This rider is 5'4". not a really tall person so getting everything to fit on this smaller frame took some brain work. I'm really liking how my new welder is performing.....more like how the new welder is allowing me to perform ! Tiny delicate welds such as cable guides are pretty easy now.

Friday, January 18, 2013

This frame will go to a rider on the team . While it isn't the only disc brake bike on the team it is in a minority. There will be more of this type in the future as certain course conditions favor the better mud clearance of this setup.

The bike will have a tapered steerer fork but be fairly straightforward in the buildup.

The downtube on this frame is a bit heavier duty, a 44 mm Easton elite MTB version. The frame is still only 3 lb. 8 oz. as you see it. It has some newer heavy duty chainstays, hence the absence of the little gussett on the drive side that you might have seen on earlier frames.

Friday, January 4, 2013

Yes, that's right....Max is back. I used to use this set and the "mini-max" tubing that Columbus offered in the early '90's. I only built a handful of frames out of this tubing but everyone who got one said that the ride quality was excellent. I never was convinced enough to try it myself....maybe I was a bit too broke at the time.

The chainstays are massive, about 36 mm tall ! They are almost as tall as the diameter of the BB shell. The seaststays are not max but they are Columbus. I think they will offer a nicer ride than the Max stays that are pretty hefty and can't be bent in the way that these are. It is difficult to see in the photo but the main tubes are ovalized and will make for a pretty stiff front end, nice for out of the saddle climbing and sprinting. This is another big tire road bike that will fit fenders. I still have to build the fork-it will have to wait until I get back from CX nationals.